Months
by JennieBlue
Summary: Part of my 100 fics challenge. Prompt #9, Months. Eric & Calleigh are out on a date, their relationship a secret...but Horatio and Stetler are at the same restaurant...


Prompt #9 - Months

Disclaimer...I own nothing, I am merely borrowing them to play with and return them unharmed.

Prompt #9 - Months

Horatio Caine sat across from Rick Stetler at a table at the Blue Ocean, a small restaurant near the beach in Bayshore. It was a Friday evening and he'd been invited to this working dinner by Harrison Carpenter, Police Commissioner of the Miami-Dade Police Department, to discuss an upcoming audit of CSI files, in preparation for a review of budget allocations for the lab in the upcoming fiscal year. Of course, the budget allocations depended on the lab's performance. To Horatio's dismay, although he was not really surprised, Rick Stetler, IAB flunky and persona non grata to just about everyone at the lab, invited himself and showed up at the restaurant just as the Maitre D' was getting ready to seat them at their table.

During dinner Harrison explained what the audit would cover, while Stetler sat back with a smug expression on his face. It was an expression Horatio was dying to wipe off, especially when Stetler informed Harrison that he should be sure to audit Horatio's HR files on each CSI to make sure they contained all the written reprimands they should, oh and of course the written accolades as well. Horatio would have bet his entire paycheck that the accolades were an afterthought to Stetler, mentioned only so that he would appear to be fair and supportive.

Harrison had already left the restaurant, advising that he needed to get to his grandson's basketball game. Horatio would've bet another paycheck that the commissioner left to get away from Stetler, the man was as pleasant as a poison ivy rash on a sunburned ass.

Horatio tilted his head to the side as he directed his piercing gaze at Stetler. His plate already having been taken away by the waiter, he placed his folded napkin on the table in front of him and sat forward, arms crossed on the table. He sighed heavily and addressed the man sitting across from him. "Rick…Rick, as always your support for my lab is… unerring."

Detecting the sarcasm in Horatio's tone, Stetler immediately felt insulted. He threw his napkin onto the table, clearly fed up with his motives being called into question yet again. "Horatio, you know as well as I do…"

Stetler continued to drone on and on about why he supported the audit and how he supported the lab in every way, but it was at that point that Horatio tuned him out. It wasn't that he didn't care what Stetler had to say, although he really didn't, but Horatio's attention was drawn to the couple standing next to the Hostess Stand. It was none other than his top two Crime Scene Investigators, Eric and Calleigh.

Being careful, so that he did not draw Stetler's attention to what was going on behind his back, Horatio watched the pair as they waited to be shown to their table. His interest was piqued because it didn't appear to be a 'happy hour' after work kind of thing. For one, both had changed since work…Calleigh had definitely not been wearing that black almost-backless dress that day, and Eric had not been wearing a button-down shirt and tie. For another, Eric's right arm was around Calleigh's waist, his hand planted on her hip. No, this was definitely not two co-workers getting together to unwind after work.

Stetler did not seem to notice that Horatio's eyebrows rose a little when he noticed Eric's hand move from Calleigh's hip in a slow slide up her back, only to rest against the bare skin her dress revealed. Even sitting where he was, he picked up on Calleigh's shiver as Eric's hand caressed over her skin, and he took note of the beautiful smile on her face as she turned to look at Eric, noting that he'd never seen her smile quite like that at work. Ever. That wasn't the smile of a friend to a friend, or a smile for a co-worker; that was a smile one gave a lover, full of sensuality, one that he'd seen before on Marisol's face.

It was when Eric pulled Calleigh in closer, into an embrace, and kissed her, that he finally looked away. He smiled, looking down into his lap, surprised, and yet not so surprised. He knew they were close…just not that close. Chuckling softly to himself, he wondered to himself how long they had been together. No doubt it was their utmost professionalism that kept their relationship out of the workplace.

"Are you laughing at me?" Stetler asked indignantly, having heard Horatio's chuckle.

"No Rick…no I'm not." Horatio replied, looking up at the IAB Ass. He knew he had to get Stetler out of the restaurant soon, before Eric and Calleigh were shown to their table, and without going past the Hostess Stand.

Horatio smiled at Stetler, and planted a thoughtful look on his face. "I was just thinking that you're right." He almost laughed at the stunned, surprised look on Stetler's face.

"Well of course I'm right!" Stetler said, looking warily at Horatio. He clearly wasn't sure if he should believe what he'd said.

"I'm sorry Rick, I do apologize," Horatio replied as apologetically as he could muster. "I know you give the lab your own…your own style…of support." He smiled genuinely, making it easy to do so by picturing the man in his underwear; although, he did have a bit of a struggle to keep himself from bursting out laughing at the mental picture.

When Stetler's lips turned up in a smile, Horatio knew he had him. "I tell you what, Rick…I know the head chef here. Gustavo is a personal friend of mine." He leaned forward, as if whispering a secret to a friend. "I bet if I asked him, he would give you the recipe for the crab cakes you were raving about earlier." He winked conspiratorially.

'_Hook, line, and sinker'_ Horatio thought to himself at the utter look of excitement on Stetler's face. He stood up, placing a hand at Stetler's back as Stetler himself stood up, intending to direct him toward the kitchen. "Let's go find him in the kitchen. Oh don't worry, they allow me to go back there any time I want," he added when Stetler looked at him skeptically. Gustavo wasn't a friend of Horatio's at all; in fact he only knew the man's name from reading a write up in a newspaper review. All he had to do was get Stetler into the kitchen, feign not being able to find Gustavo, then he'd lead him out the back door of the restaurant…and away from Eric and Calleigh. His Hummer was parked toward the back of the restaurant anyway, and frankly he didn't care where Stetler's car was parked.

...

On Monday morning, Calleigh strolled into the main floor of the crime lab at shortly after 8:00 and headed straight for the reception desk to pick up her messages. There was only one, and it was from Horatio. He requested her presence in his office as soon as she got to the lab. _'Probably has some new bombshell evidence in the Haverstock case,'_ she thought to herself as she climbed the stairs to his office, humming a tune on the way as she thought about wonderful weekend she'd had with Eric. So wonderful that she hadn't been to her own condo since Friday morning.

Calleigh knocked on Horatio's door and at his soft, "Come in," she opened the door and took one step into the room before stopping, startled. Her falter was only for a moment, before she collected herself and continued into the room.

"Hey, Eric…Horatio," she said cheerily.

...

Horatio noticed Calleigh falter as she entered his office and saw Eric sitting in one of the chairs, that hadn't escaped him. He smiled warmly at her as she greeted them and took the seat next to Eric, in front of his desk.

Not wanting them to clam up, wanting them to know he was on their side, Horatio got up from his desk and sat on the front corner instead. He looked down at the pair with a smile, cleared his throat, and softly asked, "How was the food at the Blue Ocean Friday night?"

His lips twitched at way both Eric's and Calleigh's eyes widened instantly, the classic 'deer caught in the headlights' look. He watched, amused, as they turned to look at each other, neither knowing what to say. They began to squirm, Calleigh looked down at her lap, bottom lip between her teeth, hand reaching to tuck her hair behind her ear…'_classic nervous Calleigh'_ he thought.

Horatio smiled as he observed Eric reach out and touch Calleigh's arm, running his hand down her arm until he clasped her hand in his own.

Eric swallowed visibly. "You uh…you were there?" he asked hesitantly.

"Mmmhmmm…I was."

Calleigh squared her shoulders and looked up at Horatio, determination on her face. "Horatio, I'm sorry we didn't tell you that Eric and I…that we're together, but just so you know..." she paused, taking a deep breath and clutching Eric's hand tighter, before continuing, "…I am not going to stop seeing him. I'll switch to the night shift."

"No, Calleigh," Eric told her softly, "I will, I told you before that I would."

The recollection of Eric telling her that so many months ago made Calleigh smile, but being the kind of person she was, she couldn't let him do that. "Eric, no…"

Horatio stepped in, "Nobody's going to the night shift. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." He smiled as the pair before him visibly relaxed. "But um…I wasn't alone at the restaurant. I was there with Harrison Carpenter and um…" He looked down, then back up at them before continuing, laying the bombshell, "so was Stetler."

"Oh God," Calleigh moaned, letting go of Eric's hand as she leaned forward and covered her face with her hands, elbows on her knees.

Eric's hand moved to rub her back as he sank down in his chair. He sighed heavily, blew air out between his lips. "Oh man," he sighed, "In a city the size of Miami, of all the places for Stetler to be." He threw up his hands in exasperation, "What were the odds?!"

It was clear to Horatio that they had no intention of breaking up their relationship, and truth be told, he didn't want them to. It was clear from what he'd witnessed between the two of them that they loved each other very much. He had nothing but respect, admiration and a fatherly type of love for them, and wanted nothing more than for them to be happy.

He smiled again, wanting to put them at ease. "Like I said, your secret is safe with me. I know you'll keep your relationship out of the job, just as you obviously have been doing." He sighed and stood up as he continued, "Just um," he paused, turned to them, feet apart, hands on his hips, his typical advice giving stance. "What happened Friday was a fluke, don't let it affect your lives outside of this lab. When it comes to Rick, if he happens to see you outside of work…we'll just…we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Hopefully by then this ridiculous rule will be revoked."

Calleigh's smile was genuine. "Thank you, Horatio…you have no idea how much this means to me."

"To us," Eric corrected, smiling at her.

"Oh…I think…I think that I do," Horatio murmured, smiling again as he looked down at his feet. He looked back up as Eric and Calleigh moved to the door, hand in hand, dropping hands before they opened the door, and it was back to work, back to being just co-workers.

"By the way," Horatio stopped them, "How long?"

Eric and Calleigh turned to look at their boss, then back at each other, smiling, knowing what he was asking. Eric answered for them. "Five months." With a wink he opened the door, standing back as Calleigh exited in front of him.

Once again, Horatio looked down, a smile on his face. He'd mentally calculated back in time and figured out that it had been when Calleigh was kidnapped by the poker game robbing duo. He'd seen them leave together in Eric's Hummer that evening, not thinking anything of it, and it did his heart good to know that Eric had been there for her then. But even more so, it made him happy to know that two of his most favorite people were deeply in love. And if it took everything within him, he would see to it that Rick Stetler and his band of um-merry makers would NOT split the two of them up.


End file.
